Study Description

Citation

Anthony, James. PACARDO: Data on Drug Use and Behavior in School-Aged Children and Teenagers in Panama, Central America, and the Dominican Republic, 1999-2000. ICPSR34829-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2014-08-05. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR34829.v1

Universe:
School aged youth between the ages of 12 and 20 living in Panama, Central America, and the Dominican Republic.

Data Type(s):
survey data

Data Collection Notes:

In a paper written by Chuan Yu Chen 137 cases were not included in the analysis due to the person having marked they had used Cadrina previously, which is a fake drug. The variable "NOTINCYCPAPER" designates these 137 cases. With the exception of the student's country, personal ID, and school ID, the data for these 137 cases have been designated as missing.

To preserve respondent confidentiality, some variables have been removed from the dataset, recoded, or masked.

Methodology

Study Design:
A cross-sectional research design was chosen for the PACARDO project, with the intent to use the cross-sectional study experience to create expertise needed for more complex future
investigations with longitudinal and randomized intervention designs.

Sample:

Methods of probability (random) sampling created a nested structure: youths within schools, and schools within departments (or provinces) of each country. From each country's sampling frame (the complete list of public and private schools), 55-75 schools were designated probabilistically, using a balanced stratified sampling approach originally developed by Professor Richard Royall of Johns Hopkins University. In five countries, initially sampled strata were formed in relation to the departments of the country; the sampling of schools ensured appropriate balance in representation of students from departments with small populations as well as students from the capital city and other similarly populous regions.

After probability sampling to designate schools, members of the study team rostered classrooms within each designated school, seeking to identify and include all classrooms that included 16-year-old pupils. That is, the intent was to secure a sample with a mean age of roughly 16 years in each country. From this roster, one, two, or three classrooms were randomly selected within each designated school, based on school size. Rather than pull out the 16-year-olds for survey, all youths in the designated classrooms were recruited for assessment during a regular classroom session. The result was an approximate self-weighted sample, with a mean age of 16 years and with an age range reflecting the inclusion of younger and older youths within these classrooms. In several countries, especially within smaller schools, 16-year-olds are grouped in classrooms with youths as young as 10 years and as old as young adults, and the sample reflects these educational practices.

Time Method:
Cross-sectional

Weight:

There are no weight variables in this data collection. The following note was provided by the Principal Investigator.

Each country's sample was conceptualized and drawn as a self-weighted probability sample of that country's school-attending youths. There never was an intent to pool the data from all of the countries in order to create a single summary estimate for the region as a whole. Instead, each country's sample should be specified as a replication sample, and estimated relationships should be estimated on a country-specific basis, from which a meta-analytic summary can be constructed.

Most of the variables in the first section (Q001-Q159) asked for Yes/No responses about topics such as family relations, social life, health, and social environment.

The next section (Q162-Q193) asked about the student's attitudes and usage of various substances.

The last section (Q194-Q224) asked how often various activities occurred. Each original variable in this section is followed by a series of four recoded variables primarily computed by the Principal Investigator. Where a recode was not performed ICPSR created the recode to complete the series.

Response Rates:
The survey team achieved participation by more than 98 percent of the designated sample of school-attending youths.

Extent of Processing: ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of
disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major
statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to
these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:

Performed consistency checks.

Created variable labels and/or value labels.

Standardized missing values.

Created online analysis version with question text.

Performed recodes and/or calculated derived variables.

Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.

Restrictions: Users are reminded that these data are to be used solely for statistical analysis and reporting of aggregated information and not for the investigation of specific individuals.

Variables

Browse Matching Variables

I HAVE HAD MANY FRIENDS WHO THINK USING DRUGS IS A BAD IDEA. (PAST 6 MONTHS)
Please, respond to all the questions, even though they may not fit your experience exactly. Mark , if most
of the time its true, or , most of the time its false. Mark your answers (X) in the corresponding box. Consider
the past six months.
54. Some youth think it's a good idea to use drugs. Others think it's a bad idea. I have had many friends that think
using drugs is a bad idea.

WHEN LEAVING HOUSE, ALWAYS TOLD PARENTS WHERE YOU WERE GOING? (PAST 6 MONTHS)
Please, respond to all the questions, even though they may not fit your experience exactly. Mark , if most
of the time its true, or , most of the time its false. Mark your answers (X) in the corresponding box. Consider
the past six months.
65. Some youth tell their parents where they're going when they leave the house, and others sometimes don't tell their
parents where they're going. When you have left the house, have you always told your parents where you were going?